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How much do your customers really like you?
Facebook is not simply about getting just anyone to “like” your page. It’s about attracting people who actually are going to buy jewelry at your store, columnist Ellen Fruchtman writes.
Ellen Fruchtman is founder and president of Fruchtman Marketing, a full-service agency headquartered in Toledo, Ohio representing independent jewelers, jewelry manufacturers and trade organizations. Reach her by email at ellen@fruchtman.com
Here’s the thing about Facebook (and social media channels in general): Like any other advertising vehicle, it doesn’t mean %* if ultimately you don’t begin to see more traffic and sales with your efforts. I believe in it. If done properly, I’ve seen the results. But, the measurement on Facebook is not about the number of “likes;” it’s about the number of qualified individuals in your own market area who have a propensity for fine jewelry and who matter.
Personally, I’m sick to death of hearing about it. And, I’m sick to death of listing to very successful retailers, I might add, speaking about the number of fans they have, yada, yada, yada. It means nothing, absolutely nothing, if they are never going to buy a piece of jewelry from you. There, I said it.
I’m always asked that age-old question: How do you measure your advertising? And the truth is if you don’t see new customers and an increase in traffic, it’s not working! You have to provide an appropriate timeframe to any campaign (and that doesn’t mean a few months) and if you see nothing at all, then time to redirect your efforts and creative. Regarding your numbers rising advertising certainly plays a part but, as you know, the job of advertising is to bring people to the door. Sorry, you will have to bear some responsibility for your inventory, pricing and sales acumen.
Recently, Facebook announced, “You must not incentivize people to use social plugins or to like a Page. This includes offering rewards, or gating apps or app content, based on whether or not a person has liked a Page.”
From the bottom of my marketing heart, thank you, Facebook. It’s about time. I have seen more contests and giveaways on jeweler’s Facebook pages (not the ones we manage, by the way) than I care to. It has been the bane of my existence; OK, one bane of my existence. I would call you all out by name but you know who you are. And you run the gamut--from some of the biggest and most respected to the small and, hopefully, respected.
The new rules go on to state: “To ensure quality connections and help businesses reach the people who matter to them, we want people to like Pages because they want to connect and hear from the business, not because of artificial incentives.”
Wow. Really? As a person, do you want to buy your friends? People will hang around with you, but they won’t really be there for you. Just think about your marketing, and especially social marketing, logically, before you hire companies and invest your own time.
Social media is not the end-all, be-all for business. It’s just one piece of the complicated marketing pie. No matter how you slice it, it always takes a little know-how, common sense and a great recipe to follow.
Ellen Fruchtman is founder and president of Fruchtman Marketing, a full-service agency specializing in the jewelry industry. Fruchtman Marketing represents independent jewelers across the county along with jewelry manufacturers, jewelry designers and trade organizations throughout the U.S and Canada. Contact Ellen Fruchtman at 1-800-481-3520 or at ellen@fruchtman.com. You can sign up for a free weekly marketing newsletter at fruchtman.com.
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